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Re: [xsl] Cocoon
Hi,
At 06:49 AM 7/1/2008, Andrew wrote:
> The biggest con with Cocoon is managing the beast. Cocoon 2.2 does
> configuration/application management better, but it has fewer (stable)
> features.
>
> I can give you a better assessment if you give me more info on XProc and
> what you are trying to do.
It's just that someone told me they were thinking of using Cocoon for
a project and my initial reaction was "don't do that"... based on
nothing more than sentiment and distant memory of people complaining
about it (sorry Cocoon!)
I didn't speak up on this thread at first, since the OP asked about
large-scale systems, and I have done only small-scale and
demonstration systems.
Nonetheless I do use Cocoon and generally like it very much. For
example, I have http://www.xmlshoestring.com/Sonneteer/, which I use
as a teaching application.
What I don't like about Cocoon is that once in a while you get into a
sticky problem with an edge case, which requires a workaround. Then,
either you use a workaround suggested by the gurus (whom I have found
to be helpful and responsive) -- which may require a deep
understanding of arcana to understand (and I'm allergic to
workarounds I don't understand) -- or you have to engineer your own
workaround (taking you deeper into the arcana). I could give a couple
of examples, but they're tedious. If one spends plenty of time with
the application and/or has the proper sort of background, I imagine
much of this stuff might iron out. But I'm speculating there.
On the plus side, Cocoon has a wide range of functionality, it does a
lot, and what it does it does very well. Assuming I was confident I
wouldn't have to push the edges too hard, I'd happily use Cocoon for
up to medium-scale systems, and for larger systems if I could engage
the expertise to help. When done right, these sites can be very low
maintenance, while offering huge leverage in XML/XSLT-based
scalability/extensibility.
I'm also looking forward to using XProc quite a bit, but more as an
Ant replacement (or a replacement for custom lightweight pipelining
implemented in Saxon) than as a Cocoon replacement.
Personally I sometimes think that for all the initial gains you get
from using something like Cocoon you lose further into the project
when you have to workaround the limitations/quirks of the system...
Andrew has a point here -- but it's hardly the only occasion you'll
be facing this particular risk.
Cheers,
Wendell
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Wendell Piez mailto:wapiez@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mulberry Technologies, Inc. http://www.mulberrytech.com
17 West Jefferson Street Direct Phone: 301/315-9635
Suite 207 Phone: 301/315-9631
Rockville, MD 20850 Fax: 301/315-8285
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